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The United States of America (USA) vice-captain Aaron Jones put on a show in the 2024 T20 World Cup opener against Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on June 1 (local time). The right-handed batter came during a tricky phase of the run chase but completely shifted the momentum with his knock.
Coming into bat at 42-2 in the seventh over, with a target of 195 in sight, Jones had Andries Gous for company. The duo got to work right away, smashing 33 runs off the next two overs to keep them in the hunt at the halfway stage of the innings.
Jones then switched gears, unleashing an onslaught on the leg side by scoring a flurry of sixes, one of which was recorded at 103 meters. During his six-hitting spree, Jones brought up his half-century off just 21 deliveries.
Jones' insane hitting certainly woke up several in the subcontinent, and the fans were quick to chip in with their thoughts on social media.
Here are some of the reactions on X:
"If Aaron Jones keeps on hitting sixes like this he’ll have more sixes by the end of this match than RizBar combined," one fan tweeted
"Take a bow Aaron Jones. He is in some mood," one tweet read
"Aaron Jones hitting it like a baseball," another tweet read
Aaron Jones finished not out on 94 runs off 40 balls as the USA win with more than two overs to spare
The vice-captain's brilliant third-wicket partnership with Andries Gous came to an end in the 16th over, but the damage was already done. Jones continued his assault on the Canadian bowlers in a bid to spruce up their net run rate, and his efforts led to him finishing the innings off in style.
Jones ended up unbeaten on 94 runs off just 40 deliveries, at a strike rate of 235. His knock included four fours and ten sixes to get the co-hosts to a winning start at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"I don't think it's easy to put into words. Canada always comes hard against us. I am just happy to take my side over the line. I always thought anything under 200 was chaseable. We backed ourselves and played aggressive cricket. To be honest I go through my process in practice. I do power-hitting practice and it was a very good wicket to bat on," Jones said after being adjudged player of the match.
The right-handed batter did not have the best of form under his belt coming into the 2024 T20 World Cup. He was not among the runs in the USA's series win over Bangladesh recently and had also struggled in the five-match series against Canada in April.
